Siege of Masada

Siege of Masada
	Part of the First Jewish–Roman War
	; Masada National Park
Date	Late 72 – early 73 (traditional date) ; Late 73 – early 74 AD (proposed date)
Location	Masada, Israel (then part of Judaea Province)31°18′56″N 35°21′13″E / 31.31556°N 35.35361°E
Result	Roman victory
Belligerents
Jewish Sicarii	Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Eleazar ben Ya'ir †	Lucius Flavius Silva
Strength
967, including non-combatants	Legio X Fretensis 4,800; Auxiliaries and slaves 4,000–10,000
Casualties and losses
960 dead, 7 captured (2 women, 5 children), according to Josephus	Unknown

The hilltop fortress of Masada, in present-day Israel, was successfully besieged and taken by Roman imperial forces between 72 and 73 AD, during the final period of the First Jewish–Roman War. At the time, the fortress was held by members of the Sicarii rebel group. The siege is recorded by a single contemporary written source, The Jewish War by Josephus. According to Josephus, the long siege ended with the mass suicide of the Sicarii and resident Jewish families.

In modern times, the story of the siege was revived as the Masada myth, a selectively constructed narrative based on Josephus's account. The mythical narrative became a national symbol in the early years of Israel's nationhood.